Baked Veg Corn Casserole

Season’s fresh sweet corn, bursting with juices in every golden kernel is such a pleasure to eat. We love to snack on it, steamed and rubbed with butter, or grilled with salt n lemon. And when it’s time for dinner, baked corn is the most popular choice!
Also called Veg Corn Au Gratin, the warm cheesy casserole baked golden…is the perfect TV dinner for a lazy Sunday evening. A childhood fav, it is always welcome with the kids. And the best part is, I sneak in a whole lot of veggies, so it is as wholesome as it’s delicious!

Method:
Finely chop a 2-3 cloves of garlic and a small onion. Also chop vegetables of your choice, I used peppers, mushrooms, carrots and cauliflower. Boil some corn or if it’s not in season, you can use frozen corn too. Grate some cheddar cheese.

For the vegetables…
Heat butter/oil, add garlic and onions….cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add carrots and cauliflower, followed by mushrooms and then peppers.

Lastly add the boiled/frozen corn.

Add salt, pepper and 1/4 tsp nutmeg/thyme. Cook on medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Keep aside.

For the béchamel sauce/white sauce….
Heat 2 tbsp butter on medium low. Add 2 tbsp flour/maida and cook for a minute. Add 2 cups milk…all at once and stir to combine. Cook stirring constantly till sauce thickens to coating consistancy.

Stir in 2 tbsp grated cheese. Add salt n pepper to taste.

Bringing it together….
Transfer vegetables to a baking dish.

Add about half the white sauce in the sautéed vegetables and stir to combine.

Now cover the vegetables with the remaining white sauce to form a thin white sauce layer on top.

Sprinkle some grated cheese and bake in a 425F oven for 20-25 minutes till golden and bubbly.

Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with warm toasted bread!